Gun-mounting



Al T. DAWSON AND G. T. BUCKHAM.

GUN MOUNTING. APPLICATION FILED MAY 27. 1918.

Patented Jan. 6,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Inventor-3 5 5 AHSMAN;

A. T. DAWSON AND G. T. BUCKHAM.

GUN MOUNTING.

nrucmon man mvzz. 191B.

'1 $27,084:. I Patented Jan. 6,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON,ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER,

ENGLAND.

GUN-MOUN TING.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Original application filed September 6, 1916, Serial No. 118,633.Divided and this application filed May 27,

1918. Serial No. 236,918.

To all 'wkom'z't may concern:

Be it known that we, Sir ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, knight, and Sir GEORGETHoMAs BUGKHAM, knight, both subjects of the King of Great Britain,residing at Vickers House, Broadway, Westminster, in the county ofLondon, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in orRelating to Gun-Mountings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gun mountings of the kind that are capable ofswinging about a horizontal or approximately horizontal axis which istransverse to the axis of the gun and situated a substantial distancefrom a transverse plane containing the training axis of the gun so thatthe gun and its mounting as a whole can be readily displaced in adownward direction from the firing position and housed, when not in use,within a chamber formed for example in the superstructure of a submarineor submersible boat. The kind of mounting to which the invention relatesis thus distinct from that kind in which the mounting proper (that is tosay the part with respect to which the gun movesin training) does notmove with the gun during the displacement of the latter to and from itshoused position.

According to the invention we employ gearing, which is preferably poweroperated and may comprise a rack and pinion, for displacing the mountingas a whole about the aforesaid transverse axis.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, we will describe the same more fully with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are sectionalside elevations showing more or less diagrammatically two constructionalforms of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a section taken approximately on the line 1, 1 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a sectional side elevation and asectional end elevation 'showin on an enlarged scale the manner in egear illustrated by Fig. 1 may be operated.

A is the gun and B is the base of the mounting. C is the chamber in thesuperstructure'of a submarine boat, for the reception of the gun and itsmounting when in the housed position. This chamber may be closed by awater-tight door C. D is a pivot pin which passes through the forwardpart of the base .B.

In the examples shown the gun mounting is of the cone type with worm andworm wheel training and elevating gears, the cone B being built up ofsteel plate. This cone moves with the gun in training and a ball orroller path may be interposed between its lower part and the base B ofthe mounting.

Referring to Figs. 1, 4 and 5., the gear for raising and lowering themounting comprises two screw threaded shafts E, E each engaging with anut E pivotally mounted at c on the rear part of the base B. Each shaftis carried by a bracket 0 pivoted at e (Fig. 5) to the stationarystructure and supported by a member E on the said structure betweenwhich member and the bracket e rollers or balls are placed. The saidshafts E, E are operated through suitable shafts and bevel or othergearing from the interior of the boat.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5 it will be seen that. the two screw threadedshafts E, E are arranged one at each side of the base B. In Fig. 4 themounting is assumed to be in its lowered position and in Fig. 5 in itsraised position. F (Fig. 5) is an electric or other motor situatedwithin the sub marine boat and operating upon the shafts E, Esimultaneously through the gearing shown. Suitable means operated by ahandle f are provided for reversing the direction of movement of theshafts simultaneously without necessitating the reversal of the motor.For this purpose a rod 7" operated by the handle 7 is connected toclutches f f each slidably keyed to the motor shaft F" so that one orother of two bevel pinions rotatably mounted on the said shaft andmeshing with a bevel Wheel on a shaft F operating the screw threadedshaft E, can be connected to the shaft F By operating these slidingclutches'one or other pair of bevel wheels which are running loosebecome driving units and serve to operate the shafts F F". In Figs. 2and 3 the screw threaded shafts are replaced by two fixed racks E -Ewith which mesh pinons a e operated through worm gearing from a shaft B.This shaft may be driven b bevel wheels B from the pivot D whic in thiscase constitutes a shaft actuated from the interior of the boat by bevelgearing and a shaft as will be readily understood by reference to Fi 5.

During t e housing displacement the mounting as a whole moves through anangle substantially less than a right angle and the housing operationtakes place without the gun having to be inverted.

It is to be understood that any other suitable form of power or handoperated gear may be employed for raising and lowering the mounting,and. that means would be provided for locking the mounting in either ofits aforesaid positions.

Although the pivot pin D is shown as being situated in front of atransverse plane containing the training axis of the gun, it is to beunderstood. that it may be situated to the rear of the said plane, themounting then swinging in a forward direction during the housing 0eration.

What we 0 aim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is 1. The combination with the training and the non-trainingportions oLa gun mounting, of a chamber in which the gun and mountingare adapted to be housed, means for pivoting the non-training portion ofthe mounting so that during the housing displacement of the mounting asa whole it moves through an angle substantially less than a right anglewithout the necessity of inverting the gun, and gearing for displacinthe mounting about its pivot.

2. T e combination with the training and the non-trainin portions of agun mounting, of a cham er in which the gun and mounting are adapted tobe housed, means for pivoting the non-training portion of the mountingso that during the housing displacement of the mounting as a Whole itmoves through an an le substantially less than a right angle wit out thenecessity of inverting the gun, and power operated gearing fordisplacing the mounting about its pivot.

3. The combination with the training and the non-training portions of agun mounting, of a chamber in which the gun and mounting are adapted tobe housed, means for pivoting the non-training port1on of the mountingso that during the housing displacement of the mounting as a Whole itmoves through an angle substantially less than a right angle Without thenecessity of inverting the gun, and gearing comprising a rack and pinionfor displacing the mounting about its pivot.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM.

